EU Elections June 2009, will Poles in UK vote? Will others vote?

We’ve had lots of talk about the US presidential election, but next year in Europe, EU members will be voting in the EU elections.

All EU members will get to vote for the constituency they live in, which will not necessarily be their country of origin. For instance, Bartolome living in Glasgow gets to vote for the same MEP as Noimmigration :)

Do Poles in UK intend voting? If not, why not? If yes, what will effect your decision? Will you be less inclined to vote because you’re not living in your home country and, therefore not able to vote for your home area?

I work as a Poll Clerk in the elections, the last time we had a Euro Election, I noticed a few Polish names on my list registered to vote, but only one Polish girl did come in to vote......... she asked the question “who is the party that hates us, cos I’m not voting for them” .........Unfortunately, we are not permitted to give advice or appear to influence voters in anyway, so I was unable to tell her it was UKIP, all I could do, was suggest she go to the library and read all the election leaflets and come back and vote later.

What about Brits in Poland, there are plenty on this forum, will you be voting next year? Did you vote at the last EU election?

good questions

i wonder if it will be easier for a pole to vote in the uk

than a brit to vote in poland

go out and give it a try guys

come back and tell us of your experiences

Hahaha, and he can't help it.
Of course, I'm going to vote. I hope my landlord has registered me on the Electors Register.

The UKIP is a single issue party, they demand Britain to leave the EU. I posted here few good speeches of Nigel Farage who is their EU-parliamentary leader and he sounds like a freedom minded person. Recently "Rzeczpospolita" daily published an

nczas.com/wazne/polska-i-wielka-brytania-powinny-opuscic-unie - interview with him and he confirmed my opinion. Nothing anti-Polish about the UKIP. I suspect that you may confuse them with BNP, they might be more united about immigration issues. I would wish Polish people in the UK vote for the UKIP.


This is a typical example of politically ignorant voter who is showing up to vote anyway. If one doesn't follow politics, then should stay at home instead voting for something unknown. Such people do only harm to their countries.

Everyone has the right to vote, wouldn't it be better to offer better resources to people, to help them make good use of their vote and be a well informed voter, than to take away that right?


You are right, I did mean BNP. We had a BNP voter come in, he held his ballot paper under my nose saying "do I put my cross her, I'm voting BNP, is this where I put my cross for BNP?" He knew where to put his cross, he just wanted everyone to know he was voting BNP. Despite that, I would never take his right to vote away from him


Contact your local electoral registration officer and check that you are. You can find their contact details on your local councils website

I don't question democratic decision process here. All I demand from a voter is responsibility. How could she make responsible decision if she was not aware who is in the ballot and what options are represented?

In Switzerland they have many referendums about many issues and those voters who feel ignorant about some certain issues (or not interested) simply stay at home. Thus attendance is always different.

If somebody want to be well informed, he will be even despite massive propaganda targeting him. The problem is that some are not willing to learn and still vote.

So better to give her access to better information, remember she is in a foreign country and probably unaware of where she can access this information.

I'm sitting in Poland with no intention to emigrate and somehow I know basic about politics in many European states. While she decided to emigrate to the UK and did not even bother to learn about British politics. However what is really scandalous is the fact that despite this she went to vote. Information are available for everybody interested. I doubt whether she have any clue about Polish politics as well.

As she is not here to speak for herself, we can only speculate her reasons for moving to the UK, but I would guess, she did it to find work, not study politics. I'm sure her main priorities was finding a job and somewhere to live.

According to you're logic, only people with an intense interest in politics, has the right to choose who governs the country and introduce policies that effect all residents of that country. The fact that she asked a question, shows she wanted information, but was unaware where she could get that information from. She made the effort, all she needed was better support and access to information.

I'm sure the people running the country now have a certain level of interest in politics, although I would even question that with some that are in power,but that doesn't always make them fit to run the country.

Ive never voted in a general election in the 12 years i have been able to vote so i am not to bothered about voting in an EU one personally ... as all politicians never really listen to the voters anyways ... :)

I went to vote in the local council elections 2 years ago. Being stupid, I assumed that as I was registered at an address in the "Gmina", I would automatically be on the voters list.

On presenting myself at the polling station I was informed that I could not vote as I had not registered myself to vote 6 weeks before the election?

Of course, nobody had bothered to tell me this and it is not the sort of information that I would expect my Polish friends or my partner to have access to as they "know" that they can just go along and vote. All foreigners residing in Poland have the right to vote in EU and local elections, but, do not expect the authourities to notify or even let you do this, it might lead to the misunderstanding that they are efficient and "God forbid", the fact that you may have rights in Poland.

Did you manage to get yourself registered after that?

This is not my intention to speculate why she moved to the UK. I really don't care.


People who are unable to find basic information should not pretend that they can co-decide about fate of countries.


I can easily reverse your claims. You want people who don't have proper knowledge to decide about fate of all others, including those politically aware. I don't think that marginalizing the best part of the society is a good idea. This is particular interest of those who don't know, either to learn or let those with proper knowledge to run the state.


Politically literate voter doesn't need to be good politician. These are two different things.

There have not been any elections since. I did have a word with the Mayor but I will not hold my breath waiting. Perhaps being the only Englishman amongst 15,000 Poles, they forgot about me?

Everyone should vote, whether it be in person as they are entitled to vote in that country, or by post if they are away from home.

It only takes about five minutes to fill in the voters' roll form and another five minutes to actually vote. Ok, voting by post can be complicated, but people should make the effort.

Unless there are very good reasons, people who don't vote should be fined.

I think 100% turn-out and voters actually thinking about the candidates on offer would change the political landscape a great deal.

We might actually get someone decent in power for a change, rather than the self-serving-snouts-in-the-trough bunch we always seem to end up with.

I don't agree with that, but I do think it's a shame that so many young people are less inclined to vote.....

I've noticed when working at the polling station, it's the older generation that are more inclined to come out and vote, there's an old people's home near the polling staion I always work in and it really says something when an elderly frail person will make the effort to get to the polling station in their wheelchair with a carer to help them and young healthy people cannot.......I suppose the older generation have lived through harder times and a world war, which makes them less inclined to take life for granted.

You have the right to vote and you have the right to stay at home as well. Often the second solution is better.


This would be move towards fascism, against personal freedom.


Yeah just in the wrong direction, more ignorant voters would allow politicians to be more populist. Why would they bother to convince those who know something if the number of politically illiterate people would be so big?


This is because they are mature, when young will grow up then they will come to vote in similar numbers as well.

Better for who ? One of the reasons why we just go from Labour Governments to Conservative Governments and back again is that people don't take their right to vote seriously enough.


I don't agree as I'm asking that people should vote, I'm not telling them who to vote for. Where is the "personal freedom" in sitting on the sofa, eating pizza and refusing to vote and then moaning about the decisions taken after an election someone wouldn't vote in ?


So you're saying most people are too thick to make an informed decision ?


Yes very true, although the "Heat magazine / Big Brother" generation are their children and grandchildren, so why didn't they do a better job of passing on their values ?

I have not voted for a number of years now, which some will say is stupid, but for instance at the last eletion I asked a number of parties what will they do for me?

I was single, living alone in mortgaged flat, employed, not one party had anything that would benefit me, most would/had increased my costs. Social stuff, justice very difficult to tell the main parties apart. So there was little point in voting especially under the current system.

UKIP are not the BNP I agree but they are so close it is frightening, they are definetly xenophobic, IMO

What do you think of the parties in Scotland ?

I was in that position too, but I still managed to take five minutes out of my day to vote - Labour if anyone wants to know, but never plan to vote for them again.


I agree and don't plan on voting for either, but Labour pretending they don't exist is foolish in the extreme.

I wouldn't say it was stupid because it's your choice but I do believe that if you don't use your vote you then shouldn't complain about the way the country is run or decisions made by the party in power (not just you but anyone who doesn't vote).

Mister H is right. People should vote.

For everybody. Every each of us should honestly consider whether have proper knowledge to make responsible decision. If amount of knowledge is too poor then such person should start learning process and maybe try the next time. If such person is aware of its own laziness then at least should leave decision to others. When choosing such option such person saving "the minimal level" of responsibility.


This is wishful thinking on your side my friend. :)


Here you label all those who don't vote. Anyway, this is essence of personal freedom that individuals also can act unwise and later face consequences of their behavior.


Most of people did absolutely nothing to learn about political system in their own country. Responsible voter should know some basics of economy, political systems (internal policy) and foreign policy. Because knowledge don't fall from the blue sky, some effort is needed. Some books must be read, serious newspapers studied from time to time.

Democracy don't need voters lead by emotions instead knowledge. Also people should think whether this is something more behind their stand except megalomania and arrogance.


This is not problem with generation, this is not a problem at all. This is duo to their young age, they are not ready yet. You cannot fight with the wind.

Older Polish immigration - soldiers after WWII and their families, had one rule. "Poles don't vote on left" They were conservatists electorate. Nowadays Polish electorate is less organised.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_People's_Party-European_Democrats


I am going to vote on them. I live in Poland not in UK but it seems that euro socialist are not going to receive too many votes in Poland.

Great, I'm interested in how everyone will vote, but I also find it interesting how people abroad will vote, when the options are different to the ones they would have at home.

How you are going to vote ?

Tell me waht you said here first

The answer is, i'm not decided yet. i know that I won't be voting for Labour or Conservative. I'm sick of the 2 horse race we have in this country, so no need to repeat that in Euro elections.

I will wait to see which candidates stand in my area and what their policies are.

Europe is having an election 4th June 2009.

Money for me, i get to work a 16 hour day, so the money aint bad. I use paid annual leave from work, then earn more money from working at the polls.

Tak.tak.tak the Limeys are having an election, now its my turn to tell YOU who to vote for....LOL

This is gonna be fun:)


I like it , hope youre getting double time pay, Vote early vote often!